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OCZ Vector 256GB Review

OCZ Vector 256GB Conclusion:

OCZ's Vector line of solid state drives is every bit the performer that the Vertex 4 drives are with very few exceptions. In many of the tests, the two fastest drives were the Vertex 4 and OCZ's latest Indilinx Barefoot 3-equipped Vector. The only real weakness I saw was that the Vector was less frugal with the CPU cycles than the other Indilinx equipped drives. OCZ's move to the Barefoot 3 controller is beginning to pay dividends as it uses the technologies it has available in-house after the Indilinx and PLX acquisitions. It's taken a while to go all-in but that time has come. As the first totally in-house designed controller from OCZ, it seems to have hit on a controller that does better at managing real world usage scenarios and handling both compressible and incompressible data streams.

Available in capacities from 128GB to 512GB, the Vector is not going to be on the inexpensive side for the performance it delivers and will carry a small premium in pricing. The 256GB drive I am looking at today is available for $229 from popular e-tailers. You will be paying just under $1 a GB for the Vector series drives, which is not bad when you consider the bundled Acronis drive imaging software, the drive mounting adapter and the 5 year warranty . The use of a slimmer form factor increases the size of the user base by allowing the Vector to be used in many of the slim note/ultrabooks populating the portable market. Parking the Vector in a desktop chassis is not much of a challenge as many of the most recent cases can accommodate a 2.5 inch form factor drive. If not, the included 2.5 to 3.5 inch adapter addresses that concern. Built for long-term reliability and stability, OCZ's first Barefoot 3 controlled Vector starts off this next wave of solid state offerings with a bang. To go with this new drive, OCZ currently has a promotion that entitles you to a copy of the game Far Cry 3 to add further value to the equation.